Asia/Pacific

The Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and the Public Interest Registry call for nominations for the 2013 eNGO Challenge. The Challenge seeks to recognise, salute and honour best NGO practices using ICTs worldwide. The deadline has been extended to 25 September 2013.

The Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance (PIFA), integrated by APC member Foundation for Media Alternatives, released a statement in commemoration of the 1st year of the passage of the repressive Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in the Philippines into law. PIFA is developing a week-long online campaign to make sure that netizens will not forget that even though the law was temporarily halted, vigilance should remain to ensure that the law is completely junked.

Two APC members, Bytes for All, from Pakistan, and Jinbonet, from Korea, participated at this workshop from the last regional Internet Governance Forum held in Seoul earlier in September. Read more about the main issues raised: http://bestbits.net/2013-asia-pacific-regional-igf/

A mini-survey conducted by APC member Foundation for Media Alternatives in the Philippines revealed that more than half of those who have experienced some form of online violation did not do anything about it, showing that many still consider tech-related violence as trivial. To counter this situation, FMA takes action as a partner in APC’s project “End violence: Women’s rights and safety online.”

VOICE, an APC member in Bangladesh, denounces new legislation that will increase punishment for destroying computer data with malicious intent, transferring data without proper authority, hacking, and releasing vulgar and defaming information, thereby seriously endangering citizens’ right to privacy and human rights at large.

The APC network is enthusiastic about its newest member from India, SPACE Kerala. SPACE’s membership comes at a critical time when APC has renewed its commitment to implementing and promoting the use of Transformative Technologies. To mark this occasion and introduce SPACE, APCNews interviewed Executive Director Arun Madhavan.

Gender Based Violence project, implemented by the Open Institute, APC member in Cambodia, is nominated by an international jury of ICT experts to enter the next round of the 2013 World Summit Award (WSA) in the “e-Inclusion and Empowerment” category.

Jordanians speak up and take action against the government’s attempts to regulate and licence online “news websites”. Internet freedom activists have stressed the law’s restriction on freedom of expression and have called the licencing scheme that the law proposes obsolete and undemocratic.

On 30 June Edward Snowden’s leaks revealed that the NSA has tapped 38 embassies and missions in Washington, D.C. including the South Korean Embassy. The government of South Korean needs to take action on behalf of its citizens, who are among the victims of this global scandal. Jinbonet has translated into English its call to action on behalf of civil society in South Korea.